Thousands of mourners accompanied a gilded chariot carrying the body of former King Norodom Sihanouk —the dominant figure of modern Cambodia —in a funeral procession on Friday to a cremation ground next to the palace where he was crowned more than 70 years ago. His body had been lying in state at the Royal Palace after being flown from Beijing where he died Oct. 15 of a heart attack at the age of 89. The cremation will take place on Monday. Many wept as the kilometer-long procession slowly proceeded, watched by more than half a million people, according to a preliminary estimate. Most knelt and clasped their hands in prayer as the cortege passed while Buddhist monks chanted. –AP
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